Talk With Larry

I had a conversation and meal with my friend Larry tonight and the subject of gadgetry in photography came up. Larry made the point that some people are photographers and some people are not really photo creator people but gear people instead.

I think this is very true, I know many people (me included for the longest time) who will just buy all the latest gizmos and gadgets never really using them, never really making photographs. People get dazzled by all the options, countless film, developer, photo paper, cameras, formats and lens, plus every kind of gizmo imaginable that will all do one thing MAKE YOU A BETTER PHOTOGRAPHER, bullshit!

What is often forgotten is the actual picture, the photograph! They way you become a better photographer is not the tech gadgets, the tech talk, the newest latest greatest thingy ma bob. The way you become a better photographer is by making photographs!

Choose your tools, standardize your technique, learn your camera, film etc and MAKE FREAKING PICTURES night and day.

If you look at the history of the great photographers this is what they did, they shot and shot and shot until they knew their tools backwards, they shot until they developed their own individual way of shooting, they shot until they found their way and made great photographs.

Those that hop and jump about like a headless chicken from one thing to another constantly changing, never have the opportunity to truly understand the tools of their craft. Because they do not understand the tools they have trouble creating using those same tools.

People involved in photography need to decide, do you want to be a photographer? Or a gear guy/lab technician (testing and testing, cameras, films, developers, lens constantly).

If you want to be a photographer, MAKE PHOTOGRAPHS! I need to standardize more, limit myself and grow from that. The simple way, the way that allows you to focus on your photographs is the way to go.